The background
The Bricks & Minifigs franchise started in 2010 and has become the largest aftermarket LEGO retailer in North America, with more than 100 locations across the U.S. and Canada, according to the company's website.
Gary Friedman, owner of the Bricks & Minifigs store at the Homestead Shopping Center in far Northwest Austin, was not originally a LEGO fan. His passion was precious gems; he studied as a gemologist and worked in the jewelry industry for about a decade. Eventually, he decided to switch careers, earning his teaching certificate and working as a fifth grade teacher for more than 18 years. It was Friedman’s educational background that originally drew him to a career in LEGO.
“LEGO fits right in the middle of the retail and education Venn diagram,” he said. “It's robotics, it's engineering, it's used in classrooms across the country and around the world.”
Intrigued by the idea of blending play, education and business, Gary and his wife Holly Friedman discovered a Bricks & Minifigs store near their home in Plano, and eventually decided to invest in their own franchise. They opened their storefront at the Homestead Shopping Center in May of 2017.
Holly Friedman has a background as a retail designer for companies like Crate & Barrel, and she and Gary used their respective expertise in the jewelry and retail industries to design the store, which features glass display cases to showcase sets as high-end collector’s items.
What they offer
Customers can purchase either new or used LEGO sets, and the store features many vintage sets that have gone out of circulation.
“Now that we’ve been here a while, people know to check us for rare sets. We’ve had some of the rarest sets ever made,” Friedman said. “If you’re a LEGO enthusiast, you have to manage how you acquire them. They can get expensive, and selling it off becomes a choice you might want to make.”
Patrons can also sell their unwanted kits, and Friedman said the store pays extra for sets that are traded in fully-built, so his team can confirm all necessary pieces are included. Customers can then purchase the sets pre-built or have a staff member disassemble them.
The shop also offers a large bin of loose bricks, so builders can locate that elusive missing piece to complete their masterwork. There are also, of course, the minifigs, LEGO’s signature yellow, claw-handed figurines. Minifigs have become valued collector’s items, and the business carries a large selection, featuring figures from Star Wars to “The Simpsons” and everything in between. Customers can even build their own minifigs out of loose pieces.
What else?
During the summer, Bricks & Minifigs partners with other local LEGO-related companies like Snapology to host competitions and seminars, and each week the store invites local builders to come in and show off their latest custom creations. The store also has a dedicated events room where people can host birthday parties or meet other members of the local LEGO community.
Friedman said the Austin-area LEGO community is particularly passionate, and the shop attracts builders of all ages.
“Austin is a hotbed of active LEGO enthusiasts,” Friedman said. “They have clubs here, they host conventions here. It’s a big, fun community, it really is.”
14010 N Hwy 183, Ste. 445, Austin
